Analytics for mobile applications

Abstract

A tag delivery network is disclosed for delivering tags to collect analytics related to use of mobile applications. The tag delivery network may include multiple servers for communicating with mobile devices executing mobile applications. The mobile applications may be any mobile application that has been recompiled with, for example, a particular line of code and a static library. A recompiled mobile application may initiate a browser when executed by a mobile device. The tag delivery network may deliver a tag container to the browser. The tag container may load a bootstrap file which in turn may load one or more rule files and code files. These files may cause the mobile device to modify an appearance of the mobile application. The modification may be performed to carry out multivariate testing (e.g., A / B testing), content swapping, optimization of the mobile application, or personalization of the mobile application.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]Aspects of the disclosure generally relate to configuring a mobile application to collect analytics and using the collected analytics. In particular, various aspects of the disclosure discuss features of a system that performs multivariate testing for a mobile application, content swapping for a mobile application, optimization of a mobile application based on test results, and / or personalization of a mobile application.BACKGROUND[0002]In the field of web analytics, website owners and / or third party vendors collect data when users visit websites. Such data may include information about visitors (e.g., visitor names, visitor ages, visitor demographics, etc.), where visitors are located, how well the website performs (e.g., page load times), and how a visitor interacts with the website (e.g., mouse-overs, mouse-clicks, and other events indicating visitor behavior). Tags may be placed on web pages to facilitate collection of the data. Once collected, the data may b...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a method for delivering tags to mobile applications to collect analytics data without needing to resubmit the application to online app stores. The method involves inserting code into the application, adding a library file, and recompiling the application. The library file contains instructions that, when executed by a mobile device, cause the device to launch a browser and load files that modify the appearance of the application. The files may include rules for which version of the application to use for a particular test or user profile. The technical effect of this method is that it allows for real-time tagging and implementation of analytics solutions without changing the code of the application.

Problems solved by technology

Once analytics related to mobile applications are obtained, it may be challenging to use the analytics to improve the mobile applications.

That is, organizations that produce mobile applications generally do not have control over the mobile devices that are running their mobile applications.

Without access to the mobile devices, an organization may have difficulty providing a modified version of its mobile application, such as a version that is modified in light of analytics.

Then, assuming the modified version or SDK is approved, there may be an additional delay before the modified version or SDK even appears on the online “app store.” There may be an even further delay because an end user may still need to download and install the modified version (which may include overwriting or uninstalling the previous (or unmodified) version of the mobile application) or SDK.

The time it may take to deliver the modified version of a mobile application or SDK may deter some organizations from releasing modified versions or SDKs for marketing purposes.

In particular, obstacles to releasing the modified versions of a mobile application or SDKs for a mobile application may keep some organizations from implementing analytics solutions, such as multivariate testing and / or content swapping with respect to their mobile applications.

Organizations providing mobile applications may wish to perform similar multivariate testing for their mobile applications; however, they might not want to resubmit their mobile applications to mobile stores and / or want to employ or hire programmers to develop the different tests.

However, again, they might not want to resubmit their mobile applications to mobile stores and / or want to employ or hire programmers just to make changes in appearance.

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